Sunday, August 12, 2012

I Need An App For That

Over the last few days, I’ve been lugging around an exceptionally heavy purse.  At the movies last night, I almost threw out my back trying to lift it up to look for chapstick.  After taking out the metal tape measure and box cutter that I put inside last week to carry them home from work, things lightened up a bit.  I did a bit more cleaning inside the bag and realized, after the metal tools, the heaviest thing I’ve been carrying around is this gift card wallet.
stuff 168While some think they are impersonal, I think gift cards are a great gift.  I have a ton of them – so many that they don’t fit in my regular wallet.  For many years I kept them all in a drawer.  However, out of sight, out of mind, I guess, and I never remembered to bring them with me when I went shopping.  Using another wallet to carry them around inside my purse ensured that I’d have them with me at all times.  The problem is, a wallet full of cards is really heavy. 

I’ve seen some smartphone commercials with people using their phones to pay at various shops.  After searching the iPhone’s app store, I found that a few shops let you store gift cards/prepaid cards on your phone.  For free, I downloaded Starbucks’ and Target’s app.  After just a few moments, I had both accounts set up and the gift cards entered.  
 stuff 171 stuff 172
So now when I go to either store, I can use my phone to select and pay by using a gift card. The phone is simply scanned, and the remaining amount is updated. 
stuff 169After everything was set up, I removed eight cards from the gift card wallet, which lightened the load significantly. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an app that would store and scan ALL gift cards? 

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12 comments:

  1. VinceAugust 12, 2012 at 11:55 AM

    No one clue what you are on about.
    Store cards here are loyalty cards where you get points for 'x' amount you spend. One point = one cent on €10. Something ridiculous anyway. They keep asking for the card at the check-out though as if it mattered to me.

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    Replies
    1. Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly)August 12, 2012 at 1:21 PM

      We've got those reward cards too. My real wallet is full of those. Whenever I check out at store who asks for my card I turn into a nervous wreck searching in each pocket while the line behind me is getting longer and longer, thinking "Where is it? Where is it? I know it's in here!". It's hardly worth the 1 cent/1% back.

      Delete
    2. VinceAugust 12, 2012 at 2:58 PM

      The Spice Girls are looking a bit brittle on the closing of the olym's

      Delete
    3. Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly)August 12, 2012 at 3:57 PM

      Ha, they're not really girls anymore are they?
      I wouldn't know though since we have to wait until 8:30 tonight to watch them. How were the closing ceremonies?

      Delete
    4. VinceAugust 12, 2012 at 6:49 PM

      of another era. A peculiar mix of the dark, the very dark and the psychedelic.
      The Brazilians from Rio were tame. And give the devil the due, they pulled it off.

      Delete
    5. Pumpkin Delight (Kimberly)August 13, 2012 at 6:45 AM

      I fell asleep after about an hour. I'll have to finish watching when I get home from work today.

      Delete
    6. VinceAugust 13, 2012 at 7:38 AM

      My mother said it was self indulgent, and about two hours too long.

      Delete
  2. jloAugust 12, 2012 at 12:27 PM

    Such problems! Unload some gift cards on me! ;)

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  3. MAugust 12, 2012 at 2:49 PM

    Would be no problem at all..if I had a smart phone....still in 2008 using my dumb phone.

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  4. Hena TayebAugust 13, 2012 at 9:00 AM

    That would make for a very useful app..

    ReplyDelete

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